Avid mountaineers and adventure seekers take heed! If it’s a challenge that you're looking for, look no further than Mount Trusmadi.
The Trus Madi Forest Reserve is bordered by three districts—Ranau up north, Tambunan on the west, Keningau down south, and Sook in the east. The forest reserve is classified as a Class 1 Forest Reserve and it covers 184, 527 hectares of land.
Situated circa 70 kilometers southeast of Kota Kinabalu and standing at 2, 642 meters (8, 668 feet) tall, Mount Trus Madi is the second highest mountain in Sabah and Malaysia after Mount Kinabalu. However, it is said to offer a tougher challenge to its climbers compared to Mount Kinabalu.
To reach the summit from the starting point, climbers will be trekking through 4.9 kilometers of heavily foliaged virgin rainforest. Mount Trus Madi consists of five different types of vegetations—lowland mixed dipterocarps, hill mixed dipterocarp forest, lower montane forest, upper montane forest, and summit scrub.
The slopes of Mount Trus Madi are steep, winding, and often mucky. The forest’s rich vegetation acts as a habitat for birds, wild animals, as well as a number of exotic floras such as orchids and several types of medicinal plants. Another interesting thing to spot is the unique pitcher plant, Nepenthes x trusmadiensis—natural hybrid between Nepenthes lowii and Nepenthes macrophylla which is endemic to Mount Trus Madi alone.
Walking along the Taman Bunga (Flower Garden), which blooms with colourful flowers at certain times of the year, you will be able to see the beautiful aerial view of Tambunan town. Having reached the summit of Mount Trus Madi at dawn, weather permitting, you will be enraptured by a breathtaking vista of Mount Kinabalu that lies approximately 40 kilometers north—an absolutely rewarding climb!
No comments:
Post a Comment